Engaging students in conversation around delinquency and juvenile justice—issues that are so immediately relevant to their lives—empowers them to make better decisions in their own lives by inviting them to look at the big picture of the social systems we live in.
The goals: Teach kids about the history juvenile justice and criminal justice systems, their purpose, why they are separate, who they affect, what they systems’ goals are. Pose challenging questions and discuss what justice means to them. Teach kids to be curious about how things work in society and ask, “Why?”
Topics Surrounding Juvie Talk:
Abuse
Addiction
Alternatives to Incarceration
Arrested
Ashamed
Brain Development
Bullying
Child Protective Services
Clothing
Community Resources
Constitutional Rights
Crime and Punishment
Environment/Socioeconomic Status
Ethics
Family structures
Food
Foster Care
Grandparents
Gun Violence
Homelessness
Hope
Human Rights
Hunger
Masculinity
Molestation
Neglect
Peers
Police Brutality
Privilege
Probation
Racism
Respect
School
School Discipline Policies
Sentencing (LWOP & Mandatory Mins)
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Trafficking
Sleep
Social Justice/Activism
Social Worker
State vs Federal Law
Stereotype Threat
Key Concepts for the Classroom:
Sociological Imagination
Justice
Forgiveness
Punishment
Rehabilitation
Ethics & Identity
Human Rights
Respect
UMN Human Rights Here and Now Guide:
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-2/framework.htm
Activity: ‘mapping human rights in our community’
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-3/Activity7.htm
History and Human Rights: A Process for Analyzing Events
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-3/Activity_14.htm
NYT
Teaching About Crime and Punishment in America
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/justice-for-all-teaching-about-crime-and-punishment-in-america/
The Scars of Stop and Frisk
http://www.nytimes.com/video/o...
Facing History and Ourselves
Identity and Ethics - what does it mean for your life to be going well?
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/video#side
Anticipator Guide - find out what kids already know/their opinions on a topic
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/anticipation-guides
Barometer - gauge students opinions on controversial issues
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/barometer-taking-stand-contro
Study.com Criminal Justice 101 Review
Video on history of the JC system
http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-juvenile-court-system-history-structure.html